General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Jun 12, 2020

Prince Philip Marks Quiet 99th Birthday

Britain's Prince Philip marked a quiet 99th birthday in lockdown with his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle in south-east England.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, who have been married for 72 years, have been isolating together since March.
Born in Corfu, Greece, in 1921, the royal is the longest-serving monarch's consort in British history. He retired and stepped down from frontline royal duties in May 2017.
The Queen also celebrated her 94th birthday in April quietly, cancelling the traditional gun salute because of the pandemic.

Amazon Bans Police Use of Facial Recognition Tech

Technology giant Amazon banned the police from using its controversial facial recognition software for a year.
It comes after civil rights advocates raised concerns about potential racial bias in surveillance technology.
IBM also said that it would stop offering its facial recognition software for mass surveillance or racial profiling.
The decisions follow growing pressure on firms to respond to the death of George Floyd in police custody.
Amazon said that the suspension of law enforcement use of its Rekognition software was to give US lawmakers the opportunity to enact legislation to regulate how the technology is employed.
As per Amazon, this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested."
However, the company would still allow organisations that deal with human trafficking to use the technology.

Jun 11, 2020

Nepal Irked by Presence of Indian Forces in Kalapani

Nepal Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli commented on the presence of Indian forces in Kalapani, comments by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Nepal and also increased influx of COVID-19 infection from India.
It is to be noted that Nepal considers Kalapani as its own territory along with Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura and has issued a new map showing the Indian territories as its own drawing New Delhi's ire.
Calling for a diplomatic solution to the border row, Nepali PM said that his country has been raising the issue with India, and based on facts and historic evidences, the area should be handed back.

Ethiopian PM's Term Extended

Ethiopia's Upper House of parliament agreed to extend the Prime Minster and government's term in office beyond October because elections have been delayed.
Polls were due to be held in August - the first since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018 - but officials have postponed them because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The country's nine regional governments have also had their terms extended in a binding ruling by the House of Federation.
It suggested that after the pandemic was no longer considered a threat to the public, elections be held within nine months to a year.
The decision comes two days after the speaker of the Upper House, Keriya Ibrahim, announced her resignation, accusing the government of making unconstitutional attempts to stay in power.

General Charles Brown First African-American Chief of the Air Force

The Senate confirmed General Charles Brown to serve as the Air Force chief of staff, making him the first African American to lead a military service branch.
Vice President Mike Pence presided over the Senate for the vote, and Brown's historic nomination was approved unanimously, 98-0. He is the second African American officer to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following Colin Powell, who served as chairman.
Brown is replacing General David Goldfein, who is retiring. He currently serves as commander of Pacific Air Forces, a position Brown has held since 2018. The Air Force general also served as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command.

Jun 10, 2020

Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza Dies

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza, aged 55, died after suffering a cardiac arrest.
After 15 years in power, Mr. Nkurunziza was due to step down in August.
A former rebel leader, Mr. Nkurunziza ruled the country with impunity for years, arresting opponents, stifling media outlets and cracking down on dissent.
His reign drew international condemnation and sparked widespread protests in the tiny country, one of the world's poorest. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into whether his government committed crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, rape and disappearances. In 2017, Mr. Nkurunziza withdrew Burundi's membership in the court.

UK to Start Post-Brexit Trade Talks with Japan

The UK and Japan are set to begin talks aimed at reaching agreement on a post-Brexit trade deal.
The negotiations come as London and Tokyo work towards replacing the agreement Britain currently has with Japan through the European Union.
Without a new deal by 1 January 2021 the two countries will default to World Trade Organization trading terms.
That would mean tariffs and obstacles to commerce between the UK and its fourth-largest non-EU trading partner.
After decades of sharing its trade policy with the European Union, Britain is now embarking on free trade negotiations with countries around the world.
The UK hopes that a free trade agreement with Japan will help it to eventually join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Membership of the 11-member CPTPP, a trade agreement that stretches from Australia to Chile, would significantly improve access for UK businesses to markets across the Asia-Pacific region.

EU Rejects any US Attempt to Invoke Iran Nuclear Deal

The European Union's top diplomat said that since the United States has already withdrawn from an international agreement curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions, now it cannot use its former membership of the pact to try to impose a permanent arms embargo on the Islamic Republic.
The accord, which Iran signed with the US, Britain, Germany, France, China and Russia in 2015, has been unravelling since President Donald Trump pulled Washington out in 2018 and reinstated sanctions designed to cripple Tehran under what the US called a "maximum pressure" campaign.
The EU sees the nuclear deal as a key pillar of regional and world security and has struggled to keep the pact alive despite US pressure.

Nepal House Approves New Map

Nepal`s House of Representatives unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider the Constitution amendment bill to replace the country's new political and administrative map which includes Kalapani, Lipu Lekh, and Limpiyadhura.
The ruling Nepal Communist Party, the main opposition party Nepali Congress and Madhes-based parties reportedly backed the proposal to consider the constitution amendment bill in the House of Representatives.
In May 2020, Nepal's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shivamaya Tumbahangphe had tabled the bill for discussions at Parliament to amend the constitution to update the country's map.
The Amendment proposal seeks to incorporate updated political map in the Constitution of Nepal- 2072, depicting areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura within its own borders.

Jun 09, 2020

US Releases Iranian Doctor in Prisoner Swap

An Iranian-American doctor released from a US jail as part of a prisoner swap has flown back to Tehran.
Majid Taheri, was accused of violating US sanctions and financial reporting requirements.
Dr. Taheri's return came just days after Iran freed US Navy veteran Michael White, and the US deported Iranian scientist Sirous Asgari.
The exchange represents a slight thaw in relations between the two foes.
US-Iran relations have become increasingly hostile since 2018, when President Donald Trump abandoned Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and reinstated crippling economic sanctions.
Earlier this year, the US assassinated top Iranian commander Gen Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Iraq. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at Iraqi military bases hosting US forces.

North Korea Halts all Communications with South

The North said that this was the first in a series of actions, describing South Korea as "the enemy".
Daily calls, which have been made to a liaison office located in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, will cease immediately.
The two states had set up the office to reduce tensions after talks in 2018.
North and South Korea are technically still at war because no peace agreement was reached when the Korean War ended in 1953.
North Korea "will completely cut off and shut down the liaison line between the authorities of the North and the South, which has been maintained through the North-South joint liaison office from 9th June 2020.
Military communication channels will also be cut.

Environment Performance Index 2020

According to the biennial Environment Performance Index (EPI ) 2020 released jointly by Yale University and Columbia University, India has ranked 168 out of 180 countries with a score of 27.6 out of 100.While the Denmark has topped the list with a score of 82.5.
Among the South Asian countries, Bhutan topped in the list and Afghanistan was at the bottom.
The EPI provides a quantitative basis for comparing, analysing, and understanding environmental performance of the countries based on 32 key sustainability indicators across 11 categories and also gives a snapshot of the 10-year trends in environmental performance at the national and global levels.

Vietnam Ratifies Free Trade Agreement with EU

The National Assembly of Vietnam ratified a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), which over the next 10 years will cut or eliminate 99 per cent of tariffs on trade between the two sides.
The Europe-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will come into effect in July.
When it comes into effect, 71 per cent of Vietnamese exports to the EU will be exempt of tariffs while taxes on the remaining goods will be lifted in the next seven years.
In return, Vietnam will lift 65 per cent of the tariffs on products from EU member countries, while taxes on the remaining goods will be reduced over the next 10 years until 99 per cent of them are eliminated.
The EU is Vietnam's second largest export destination behind the US, and is also the second largest exporter of goods to the Southeast Asian country, also behind the US.

Jun 08, 2020

Biden Will Take on Trump in November Election

Former US vice-president Joe Biden has secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination at the party convention in Milwaukee in August.
Late results from the June primaries took Biden to 1,995 delegates, past the threshold of 1,991 needed to clinch the nomination, clearing the path for his race against President Donald Trump in November.

Malawi Leader Appoints New Electoral Chief Ahead of Rerun

Malawi's President Peter Mutharika has appointed a new electoral commission chairperson ahead of a presidential re-run.
The Constitutional Court had in February 2020 ordered a fresh presidential election be held within 150 days after annulling last year's re-election of President Mutharika - a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court.
The former commission chairperson Jane Ansah resigned amid criticism by the opposition on how she managed the disputed election.
President Mutharika appointed Justice Chifundo Kachale to head the commission.
He also appointed new commissioners, namely Arthur Nanthuru, Steve Duwa, Jean Mathanga, Linda Kunje, Anthony Mukumbwa and Olivia Liwewe.

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